The first challenge I'll face in preparing for my impending thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail is exactly how to get to the trailhead on Springer Mountain near Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia. The last time I hiked from Springer I was dropped off at the first road crossing north of the Springer Mountain summit (USFS 42) by my father-in-law (Drrron) who was driving down to Florida. It was very kind of he and Judy to drive me all the way from New Brunswick to Georgia and then deliver me to the trail up a winding, mountain-hugging forest service road. Of course, the fact that we had to stop at just about every Dairy Queen along the way made the trip much more enjoyable for all of us.
Anyway, I see that the Hiker Hostel (http://www.hikerhostel.com/) offers a package that includes a shuttle from Gainesville, overnight at the hostel, breakfast in the morning, and then a shuttle to the trail crossing on USFS 42. Fortunately, Amtrak has a passenger train (The Crescent) that travels from New York to Atlanta and stops at the station in Gainesville. Perfect! So, I'll drive down to Boston and catch the Acela to New York and then The Crescent to Gainesville, GA. The trip includes an overnight on the train so I've reserved a roomette to make the trip more comfortable. If all goes according to plan I should be on the Springer summit and heading north on March 18.
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